Throughout its three years of being open, Gibson Ek has made a name for itself as a school that reflects students’ interests and where they want to go. Because students get to be at internships two days of the week, it means that there’s a lot of room for creativity and flexibility. Students have worked at a wide range of places, from the Center for Restorative Justice to LUSH.
But the main difference this year from past ones is that all four grades are present on the Gibson Ek campus—a change from the fraction of grades that been on campus up until now. This change brings a difference in the culture on campus, as well as learning how to work with seniors.
“The hard work the seniors have done elevates the work of the underclassmen. They play an important role of mentoring the younger students, encouraging them in their work and showing them how to push themselves,” Dean of Students Tonja Reischl said.
But Reischl’s role as Dean of Students means that she is removed from the classroom, and doesn’t have the same perspective as the student body. Junior Megan Krohn, however, is right in the middle of it all.
“I like to see our junior and senior classes as a team effort, with equal impact on our community. This doesn’t say much compared to the rest of the students because we are a very community-based school. We all play a huge role,” Krohn said.
As a baseline, that is what Gibson Ek focuses on most: the community. Since the school is so small, students have very close relationships with one another. Students are divided up into advisories not dependant on grade, and work on building relationships with one another.
“We are all able to help each other work through things better, and are much more close-knit than in previous years,” Krohn said.